Proxmox VE : Build High Availability Cluster with Ceph – Lab | Udemy

Learn how to design, build, and manage a fully redundant Proxmox VE 8 High Availability Cluster with Ceph storage in this hands-on, lab-based course.

This comprehensive training is designed for IT professionals, system administrators, DevOps engineers, and homelab enthusiasts who want to deploy production-grade, fault-tolerant infrastructure using open-source technologies.

You’ll start from hardware planning and move step-by-step through Proxmox installation, cluster formation, Ceph integration, virtual machine and container deployment, SDN configuration, and disaster recovery strategies.

What This Course Covers:

Proxmox VE 8 High Availability Cluster

• Understand clustering concepts: quorum, fencing, HA Manager, and failover behavior
• Set up a 3-node Proxmox cluster from scratch using real servers and mini PCs
• Configure high availability for VMs and LXC containers with automatic recovery

Ceph Storage Integration

• Deploy Ceph as a distributed, resilient, and scalable storage backend
• Learn to install Ceph Monitors, OSDs, Pools, and Managers across multiple nodes
• Use Ceph RBD for VM storage and assign Ceph-backed volumes to containers
• Design dedicated networks for Ceph public and cluster traffic

Networking for HA and SDN

• Configure Linux bridges, NIC bonding, VLANs, and multi-interface setups
• Integrate pfSense or OPNsense as firewalls and edge routers for virtual networks
• Build Software-Defined Networking (SDN) zones including VLAN, VXLAN, and QINQ for advanced segmentation and multi-tenant environments

VM and LXC Management

• Deploy and manage virtual machines for Linux and Windows Server
• Use LXC containers for lightweight services and microservice architecture
• Clone and template VMs and containers for rapid provisioning
• Automate deployment with cloud-init and helper scripts

Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Optimization

• Monitor your cluster and Ceph health with tools like Zabbix
• Optimize node performance, network throughput, and storage latency
• Diagnose issues in Proxmox and Ceph with logs and best-practice workflows

Backup and Disaster Recovery

• Configure and use Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) for complete VM and container backups
• Integrate NAS and external storage for data redundancy
• Restore full cluster or single-node failures with image and configuration recovery
• Use PXE boot and iVentoy for LXC-based recovery servers

Automation and Real-World Use Cases

• Automate workflows using n8n and Proxmox scripting
• Set up AgentDVR and TrueNAS within the cluster
• Apply the knowledge in a real-world final project: building a portable homelab with Protectli, BeeLink, pfSense, TrueNAS, and Docker

Who Should Take This Course:

• System administrators managing virtualized infrastructure in SMBs, enterprises, or hybrid environments
• DevOps and SREs building automated, highly available platforms
• Homelab enthusiasts seeking enterprise-grade virtualization tools
• Professionals transitioning from VMware, Hyper-V, or OpenStack to Proxmox and Ceph
• IT learners preparing for roles in infrastructure architecture or cloud engineering

Why This Course Is Unique:

• Full lifecycle training: from bare metal to clustered production infrastructure
• Covers high availability, storage redundancy, network segmentation, and automation
• Uses real-world hardware and tested configurations
• Includes optional tools like pfSense, OPNsense, TrueNAS, and Clonezilla for broader application
• Taught by an experienced instructor with over 14 years in Proxmox deployment

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to confidently deploy, manage, and scale a fully resilient Proxmox VE 8 HA cluster with Ceph storage and advanced network and disaster recovery capabilities.